The Navy says the first of its new Zumwalt-class destroyers will be homeported in San Diego, which is part of the Pentagon's move to place more warships in a spot where they can quickly deploy to the western Pacific.

The decision is contained in remarks that the ship's commander, Capt. James Kirk, prepared for the vessel's crew members. The message was meant to welcome the crew to Maine's Bath Iron Works, where the ship is being built. The ship, named Zumwalt, is one of three that will make up a new generation of destroyers. The others are the Michael Monsoor and the Lyndon B. Johnson.

Kirk said in written remarks, "Zumwalt's eventual homeport has not been finalized, but San Diego is the planned homeport with arrival there expected in mid-to-late 2016."

The 610-foot Zumwalt, which is nearly 90-percent built, is the largest destroyer ever constructed for the US Navy. It'll also be the stealthiest; the ship has a low, narrow design that's meant to produce a very small radar signature. The design somewhat resembles a Civil War ironclad ship. The Zumwalt-class vessels will provide more shore bombardment firepower than the Navy has had since it decommissioned the last of its battleship in the early 1990s.

The Zumwalt is named after the late Adm. Elmo Zumwalt, a Bronze Star recipient who served as Chief of Naval Operations during the Vietnam War.